The Girl Brightly
by Tawnykit
Summary: She was his light, his sunshine, his sun and moon and stars. Li Syaoran reflects on all things Sakura.
1. So Like a Flower

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

A/N: Otherwise known as, "That Short Series of Drabbles Which is So Cute and Fluffy You'll Want to Gauge Your Eyes Out with a Spoon When You're Finished Reading It." (Actually, it's really a short series of _short stories_, because I've no notion of how to wrap things up in a timely manner. –grin–) The title comes from a Robert Frost poem – kudos to you if you can tell me which one – and seemed to fit the vague idea I had in my head when I embarked on this endeavor. Syaoran and Sakura are love, you see, and I felt the need to tribute them. Manga verse, because the dub makes me cringe and I'm too poor to buy the sub.

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**Title: **So Like a Flower**  
Teaser: **She was so fragile, and yet even flowers sometimes had thorns.**  
Rating: **K+**  
Length: **569 words**  
**

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Li Syaoran was in his second favorite place in the whole wide world. 

From a distance, it might appear that he lay amidst a snowstorm, the big, fluffy flakes falling down all around him. Closer inspection would reveal, however, that his clothes were too light for it to be winter, and that the white "snow" was, in actually, not white at all, but the palest of pinks.

Syaoran sighed, closing his eyes as he breathed in the fragrant scent of the cherry orchard. The petals were soft on his skin, caressing his face like a lover's touch.

He smiled. She was aptly named, his Cherry Blossom.

With one deft movement, Syaoran reached out and snatched one of the falling blossoms out of the air, his eyes remaining closed. He stroked the petal gently. It was so delicate, he mused, so fragile. Had he desired, he could destroy it without a thought, rendering it in two and leaving the pieces to float away on the wind.

Of course, Syaoran could never hurt _her_. His fingers released the petal, letting it drift down to rest on his chest, just above his heart.

It was strange, though, how everything had turned out.

Throughout the long centuries since Clow's death, her coming had been eagerly awaited by those who were wise in the ways of magic. The Li Clan, especially, had watched their young ones with hope and near desperation, so sure that Clow's heir would be found among Clow's blood.

And, in the end, she was. Just not the way the Elders had predicted.

Syaoran's smile grew. He had been so angry at her, so _furious _that some clueless _girl_ with no training and nothing but sheer talent to back her had been the Chosen One. _He_ was the Son of the Li Clan; _he_ was the Heir to their Power. _He_ should have been the one to inherit Clow's mystic gifts, as well.

Oh, how wrong he'd been.

He had soon learned his lesson. Her destiny was greater than he could ever have imagined, and she was more than capable of taking care of herself. His naïve little flower had hidden thorns that soon taught a sharp lesson to any who underestimated her.

As the heir to the Li Clan, it was Syaoran's duty – and, in this case, it was his pleasure – to guide her on her path. Years ago, he would have been enraged to be so casually demoted to the role of mentor instead of hero, of knight instead of prince.

Now, Syaoran wouldn't have it any other way.

"Syaoran! _Syao_raaaaannn! Are you here? _Syaoran_!"

From his place amidst the cherry blossoms, the young man yawned, stretched luxuriously, and opened his eyes, rising to his feet and raising one hand in the air to hail her. "Over here, Sakura!"

"_There_ you are!" She was upon him in a flurry of flower petals and sweet cherry scent, laughing joyfully as he caught her and swung her around. "What are you doing here, silly? I've been looking for you _every_where!"

He smiled down at her, his eyes – no longer cold amber, but warm and content – meeting her cheerful green ones. "I was waiting for you," he explained, tickling her mercilessly.

They fell back among the carpet of cherry blossoms, their joyous cries evident from a long way off.

Li Syaoran was now in his favorite place in the whole wide world.


	2. All the Stars

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

**Title: **All the Stars  
**Teaser: **Sakura was starlight, plain and simple.  
**Rating: **T  
**Length: **634 words

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She was like sunshine. 

Every time she stepped into a room, everything came to life. Things seemed bigger, brighter, better. She had a warm glow that seemed to seep out through her skin and permeate everything about her, filling the very air with her own special sort of magic that had nothing to do with cards and spells. She was a warmth he could bask in endlessly, drifting asleep like a cat stretching in the sun.

But then, perhaps sunlight wasn't the best example, after all.

The sun could be as terrible as it was peaceful. It could fry the skin off your face and leave you red and raw and hurting, remorselessly tormenting you with its bright, cheerful, cruel glow. Sunlight was golden fur and sheer power, flashing claws and sharp white teeth.

She was gentle and kind, a soothing balm that healed the sun's terrible blows. Power she had in plenty, but even to her enemies she was merciful.

Not sunshine, then.

Nor was she the moon, the cold, ever changing, always taunting silver moon. He drew his strength from moonlight, like a flower desperately seeking the sun's rays, reaching with delicate petals and stretching its leaves toward the sky. He grew strong as the moon grew full, and was left weak and sickly each month when a dark orb filled the sky.

Despite this, it had been a long time since he'd been attracted to moon magic.

But if long silver hair and pure white wings embodied the moon, then what was left for green eyes and a smile that, even after all this time, could still make his blood run fast and his knees turn to jelly?

"Syaoran? What'cha thinking about?"

Li Syaoran smiled gently and tightened his arm about her shoulders. "You."

She blushed and buried her face in his shoulder, mumbling something incoherently, and he chuckled.

The young man turned his eyes skyward, then raised his arm, pointing at a distant pinprick of light high above their heads. "Hey, look, there's another one."

Sakura quickly lifted her head, drawing in a little breath as she caught sight of the shooting star with wide eyes. "Oh..." she whispered, and closed her eyes.

Her boyfriend chuckled again. Her obvious delight at each far off falling star was adorable. "Are you making the same wish over and over again," he asked, "or a different one each time?"

"I can't _tell_ you!" she scolded, puffing out her cheeks. "Or else it won't come true!"

"Ah, so _it _is just one wish, then?" he teased.

She hid her face in his shoulder again. "Never _said _that."

Kissing the top of her head, Syaoran reassured her, "Well, whatever it is, if you keep wishing for it on every falling star we see tonight, it's bound to come true."

Green eyes peeped out at him. "Think so?"

"_Know_ so. See, there goes another!"

"Oh!" Again her eyes widened, and again they closed.

Syaoran couldn't help it. He rolled on top of her, supporting himself with his elbows to keep from crushing her. Sakura opened her eyes to find his nose an inch from hers, the small, soft smile he saved just for her on his lips. She closed the distance between them, and they kissed as another star fell.

"Syaoran?"

"Mmm?"

"We'll be together forever, right?"

He kissed her once more, than rolled off her, leaving one arm wrapped around her. Their bodies lay very close, keeping each other warm on the brisk spring night. "Forever," he agreed.

"Promise?"

"Promise." He squeezed her once, adding. "And I'll give you the stars, love."

Yes. He'd give her all the stars in the sky, just to match the inner light that made her so special.

"Love you, Syaoran." A whisper.

And the reply: "Love you too, Sakura."


	3. Karma

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.**  
**

**Title: **Karma  
**Teaser: **Li Syaoran knows that, somehow, somewhere, he must have done something very good in a past life.  
**Rating: **K  
**Length: **507 words

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People like Kinomoto Sakura didn't happen to people like him. 

She was so kind to everyone, even her enemies. Of these there were few, for it took a specific type of individual, one whose heart had been sealed off from the world outside, to be able to feel enmity toward she who loved everyone and everything so freely.

He had once been among her enemies.

It hadn't lasted long, true. After spending so much time in her company, all those years ago, her warmth had begun to turn his winter into spring. Looking back on it now, he felt nothing but pity for the poor boy who had been so lost in the world. The Li Clan Elders had worked hard to mold the young heir into their own vision, and in doing so they had attempted – and nearly succeeded – to take his childhood away from him.

Sakura had changed all that. She had showed him out to laugh, to live...

To love.

When he first realized he'd fallen in love with the young Cardcaptor, he hadn't been able to believe it. Hadn't _wanted_ to believe it. He denied the truth to himself for so long that, when it finally hit him, it was like being hit in the chest. With a train.

He would lie awake at nights cursing himself for his weakness. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could never bring himself to curse _her_, not even when she smiled that dazzling, innocent smile and the blood rushed to his face and he fled the scene like a coward.

He had also despaired. Always so close, she was, and yet always so far away. After all, people like Kinomoto Sakura – sweet, kind, _beautiful_ – didn't fall in love with people like _him_ – with cold, callous people like him, especially not when she had people like Tsukishiro Yukito idolized in her heart. There simply wasn't enough room in one person's heart to hold so much love.

So close, and yet so far.

The change happened so slowly that at first he didn't notice it. When he did, he was even more confounded than he had been at the realization of his feelings. Somehow, that pretty, amazing little girl had melted the ice around his heart, had stripped him of his fear so easily that she wasn't even aware that she had done it. He stopped cursing his fate and learned to bask in her presence, feeling as if his soul had grown wings every time she was near.

He had agonized about whether or not he should tell her, had stared up at the skies and begged the moon and stars to show him the answer. Perhaps they had, because, when the time finally came, his fear and panic were gone, leaving behind only calm determination.

"_I love you."_

People like Kinomoto Sakura didn't happen to people like him.

"_You're my number one.__"_

So, Syaoran figures, somehow, somewhere, he must have done something very good in a past life.

_"That's all I wanted to say."_


	4. Until the End of Time

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.**  
**

**Title: **Until the End of Time  
**Teaser: **Li Syaoran never learned to appreciate the telephone until after he met – and was subsequently separated from – Kinomoto Sakura.  
**Rating: **K+  
**Length: **1020 words

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Li Syaoran never appreciated telephones until he met Kinomoto Sakura. 

Or, rather, he never appreciated telephones until he was _separated_ from her.

Syaoran preferred to speak to people face to face. So much of a conversation was told in body language, in the way people held themselves and in the expressions on their faces when they spoke. On the other end of a telephone, it was impossible to read these nonverbal queues. Intimidation was also much harder to accomplish, for glaring at the telephone did absolutely nothing to affect the person on the other end of the line.

The two years Syaoran had spent in Hong Kong, an ocean away from the girl who had, somehow, impossibly, captured his heart, had changed his mind. The time had been utter agony for the young Li Clan heir, each hour dragging by with excruciating sluggishness as he counted down the days until he could return to her side.

The exception came every day at about the same time each night. The phone would ring, Syaoran would drop whatever he was doing, and from the second he heard her voice until the inexorable time when they were forced to hang up, Syaoran once again felt truly _alive_.

Thankfully, that torture had ended years ago. Syaoran was now officially a resident alien of Tomoeda, Japan, and he had never been happier in his life.

Of course, nothing lasted forever. Inescapably, during school vacations and holidays, Syaoran would be called back "home" to Hong Kong, where he faced inspection by the Clan Elders, interrogation by his family, and separation from the girl of his dreams.

But there were always phone calls.

"Xiaolang, if you stare at that phone any harder it will burst into flames."

Syaoran cast a glance over his shoulder at his mother and quickly returned to studying the black device on the table. Why hadn't it rung yet? She _was_ going to call tonight, wasn't she? Should he maybe call her, instead? But what if she tried calling at the same time, and they ended up getting a busy signal . . . ?

"_Xiaolang_."

He jumped, guiltily. "Yes, mother?"

Li Yelan studied her son with amused eyes. Had he even heard her speaking to him?

"Perhaps you should wait in the other room," she suggested. "You could get some work done as you wait." Not, she knew, that he would be able to focus on anything remotely resembling work.

The teenager sputtered indignantly. "But what if she calls and I miss her?"

His mother raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that could happen, my son."

"Yeah, but I can't risk it." He returned to his scrutiny of the telephone, leaning forward so far that his nose brushed the plastic surface.

Yelan hid a smile behind her hand, then took a moment to compose herself before asking, "When do you plan to bring her home, Xiaolang?"

"What?" He glance up, then back down, muttering distractedly, "I've brought Sakura to visit before, Mother, don't you remember?"

"Xiaolang." Again, her amusement fought to break through, and this time she didn't bother to hide the small smile that crept onto her face. "Xiaolang, that is _not_ what I meant."

"What?" He looked up again, this time giving her, if not his undivided attention, at least some amount of focus. "What, you mean . . . ?" And his face turned a bright cherry red.

"The tradition," she said, "is for the heir of our clan to be married before he assumes the role of leadership." With the death of his father some years before, both Yelan and Syaoran knew that, come the boy's eighteenth birthday, the Council of Elders would turn the rule of the Li Clan over to the rightful heir.

If it was possible, her son's face grew even redder. "Yes, I _know_ . . . I just, erm . . ."

"Does _she _know?"

Syaoran fidgeted. "I . . . well . . . erg . . ." He choked, coughed violently until his eyes ran, then swiped the moisture away from his face.

"Or isn't Miss Kinomoto the one you wish to marry?"

He choked again, sputtering. "It's not that!"

"Even the Elders would support you, Xiaolang. The Mistress of the Clow Cards would be a powerful addition to the blood of the Li Clan."

Her son's cheeks were aflame with his embarrassment, and he hid his face in his hands. "_Moth_er"

Yelan took pity on him. "Of course, you are both very young," she admitted. "There is no pressure, for now. But Xiaolang," she added, putting a hand on his shoulder, "you cannot wait forever. You have a responsibility to our family. The line must continue."

He was saved the discomfort of answering when the telephone finally rang. The teen pounced on the device, his eyes lighting up and a flush that had nothing to do with embarrassment rising to his face. "Sakura?"

Yelan quietly slipped out the door, leaving him to speak with his love in peace.

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"What is it?" 

"What do you mean?"

"You sound kind of . . . funny. Is everything okay? You're not sick, are you?" The worry in her voice made his heart melt into a little puddle at his feet. Gods, he loved her!

"No, no, nothing like that. Just a conversation I had with my mother."

"What about?

"Er . . . Ask me again sometime. When I get back, maybe." Well, it wasn't like he could ask her on the _phone_, after all.

"Hoe?"

"Nothing." He smiled. "I love you."

She was clearly still puzzled, but she didn't need to think twice about her response. "I love you too. But what's . . . ?"

Laughing, he teased, "Secret."

"_Syaoran!_"

Still laughing, Syaoran closed his eyes and let his mind dwell on the future. Yes . . . this was the girl he wanted to spend his life with. The was the girl he wanted to hold forever at his side. To hold, and love, and protect, and be protected by, forever and ever.

Forever and ever, until the end of time.


	5. Red

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

**Title: **Red**  
Teaser: **He would gladly kill for her, and that was the one thing she could never let him do.  
**Rating: **T  
**Length: **1,376 words

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Li Syaoran was seeing red. 

Anger made his blood boil as it raced through his veins, flushing his face and giving his eyes a strange, almost manic glint. Lightning flickered and flashed around his body as his rage took physical manifestation, terrible and uncontrollable. His pounding legs took him ever closer to his targets . . . ever closer to his revenge.

_How dare they?_

He could see them ahead of him now, laughing at what they'd done. The fools. They wouldn't know what had hit them until it was too late. He could almost – _almost _– pity them, except . . .

_. . . snow white wings crumpling, falling, stained a color that should never have marred their purity . . ._

Dimly, Syaoran was aware that someone somewhere was screaming. It took him a moment to realize that that person was himself.

He was on his knees – how had he gotten on his knees? – his head clutched in his hands as if to keep the awful visions from assaulting his mind. His breath came in great, panting gasps. Staring at his hands – dirty hands, filthy hands, stained from the sin of failing her – he could see them shaking treacherously.

_Sakura!_

No. He couldn't think of her, not now, not until after she had been avenged. He couldn't think of how he had failed her, or . . .

A sound from up ahead brought his attention back to the situation at hand. He cursed softly; they knew he was here, now. With an unsteady lurch, he rose to his feet, staggering slightly before recovering. In one fluid motion, he drew and released his sword. The deadly blade flashed once in the moonlight before he sent a flood of lightning ahead of him, clearing his path. He followed behind like an angel of death, vengeance in his eyes.

They would pay. They _had_ to pay. He would _make _them pay. He would . . .

"_Syaoran, stop_!"

He froze mere seconds from beheading the quailing man before him. _What . . . ?_

It wasn't possible. Losing her had been too much, he decided, and his mind had finally succumbed to madness. He rallied himself, his cold amber eyes narrowing in resolution, determined not to let his insanity stop his revenge . . .

. . . But . . .

_. . . the scent of cherry blossoms on the wind, sweet and warm and comforting . . ._

"Sakura . . . ?"

Gale-force winds swirled around him, ruffling his hair as they whisked his victims away, carrying them far beyond his reach. But none of that mattered now. His sword fell from his trembling fingers, landing with a _clang_ on the ground, and, slowly, disbelievingly, he turned around.

"_Sakura _. . ."

It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. But there she was, standing before him, worn and tired, perhaps, but wonderfully, beautifully_ alive_.

For the second time that night, Syaoran found himself suddenly on the ground as his knees gave out on him. This time, though, Sakura was there, catching him as he fell and cradling his head in her lap.

"Syaoran! Are you okay?" She searched his face desperately, then looked him up and down in search of wounds. "Are you all right, Syaoran?"

"I . . . You . . . I . . ." He gazed up at her, unable to believe that she was _real_, that she was _here_, holding him and looking down on him with those beloved green eyes so full of worry.

She stroked his brow tenderly, the soothing caress calming him enough to speak.

"You . . . You fell . . . They hurt you, and you fell, and there was so much blood . . . Sakura, I thought . . ." To his shame, the heir to the Li Clan found tears running down his cheeks, and angrily he blinked them away.

"Shh . . . I'm okay, Syaoran, really I am. Fly was hurt, a little, but she's easy enough to heal, and we're both okay, I'm okay . . . It's okay, it's okay . . ." She bent down and kissed him, assuring him of her health. "It's okay," she repeated, and she smiled at him.

Syaoran took a deep, shuddering breath, then sat up and crushed her in an embrace, rocking her back and forth. "Sakura, I thought I'd lost you . . . I thought I'd failed you."

She clutched him back. "You could never fail me, Syaoran. _Never_." And, as if to prove her words, she kissed him again.

He drank her in like he was a dying man and she his only salvation. Gods, to lose her would be . . .

But she was here, safe, in his arms, and so he banished those thoughts and lost himself to her.

"Right," he said when they broke apart, both of them panting a bit. Rising, he gestured at the men that had been bound by Windy's chains. "What should we do with them?"

Accepting his offered hand, Sakura let him pull her to her feet. "I'll take care of this."

Syaoran stepped back, a predatory smirk on his face. He loved this part.

The Mistress of the Clow's hair and clothing began to move in a wind that no one else could feel. To his magical senses, her aura throbbed with power, and when she spoke to her captives, her voice had taken on a commanding tone that quelled any protests before they even formed in the poor fools' minds.

"You have meddled in doings of which you cannot possibly understand. Your actions were cruel and foolish, and your punishment must be equal to your crimes." Her voice rang with power as she drew her star key and called, "_Key that hides the power of the stars, show your true identity! By the Covenant, I, Sakura, command you! Release!_"

With her Star Staff in her hands and the familiar magical seal at her feet, Sakura was truly an awe-inspiring presence. Syaoran smiled, his eyes full with pride in her accomplishments and relief at the sight that he'd been afraid he would never see again.

All too soon, it was over. As her magic faded from her, Sakura sank to the ground, exhausted.

Syaoran was at her side in an instant, kneeling beside her anxiously. "Are you all right?"

She smiled tiredly. "Yes. I'm fine. _Really_," she added when he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What did you do to them, anyway?"

She blinked, surprised. "You don't know?"

He smiled wryly. "Sorry. I was too busy admiring you to pay attention to what you were doing."

She blushed and he grinned, delighting in how easily he could unsettle her (and conveniently forgetting that she could just as easily do the same to him). "I, um, just . . . sent them . . . to the _place_, and, er, they can learn a lesson there . . ." She broke off, gesturing vaguely. "_You_ know," she added, and then yawned.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It's past your bedtime, little girl. Let's get you home." He scooped her up into his arms and she snuggled closer to him, enjoying the way he held her.

Syaoran turned away from the battlefield and bent his legs, preparing to leap to the roof of the opposing building and take his love home, but something occurred to him and he straightened, his arms tightening about her.

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Syaoran?" Her voice was a tired mumble.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yes, Syaoran," and he could _hear_ the smile in her voice.

"And, Sakura?"

"Yes, Syaoran?"

"You know I'd die for you, right?"

She pressed her face into his chest. "Yes, Syaoran."

"And, Sakura?"

"Yes, Syaoran?"

"You know I'd . . . You know I'd kill for you, right?"

". . . Yes, Syaoran."

"Good."

"But, Syaoran . . ."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Don't . . . Don't ever do that, okay? I wouldn't want that to . . . happen to you . . . It would change you, y'know? And . . ." She yawned again, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Yes, Sakura. I know.

"I know."


	6. And They Lived

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

**Title: **And They Lived  
**Teaser: **And they lived happily ever after.  
**Rating: **T  
**Length: **365 words

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The ceremony had been beautiful. No surprises there, what with Tomoyo teaming together with his mother and sisters to plan the damn thing. He hadn't wanted all the fuss they had made, but he was the _heir_, after all, and even he understood that the small, private affair he wanted was impossible. 

And so he put up with it, with the planning and shopping, the noise and the chaos, the relatives and business associates and reporters, quietly grinding his teeth together at each little annoyance and breach of his privacy, just waiting for everything to be _over _already so that they would go away and leave him alone with the one he loved the most.

She seemed to positively _glow_ in all the attention. He watched her, surrounded by the people and the colors, and shook his head in admiration. He'd always been a loner, and never could figure out how she could stand all the commotion. All the _people_. His lip curled back with distaste, but he put up with it for her. Just for her.

It was all worth it, he decided as he watched her laugh, and smile, and dance. It was all worth it if she was happy, and if they could be together.

_Forever._

And now, when it was all over, after all their hardships, all their trials, all the fussing and the preparations, now, _finally_, they had peace.

Smiling, he looked down at her sleeping form, aglow in the moonlight streaming in through their window, and traced patterns on her bare shoulder with gentle fingers. She stretched in her sleep, emitting a soft sigh, and snuggled closer to him.

She would be there when he woke the next morning, and all the mornings after that. They would be together _forever_, as he'd promised her so long ago. And now, nothing and no one would keep them apart, not his family nor her duties nor all the terrible things in the world lined up to stop them could stand between them.

_Li Syaoran. Li Sakura._

The words sent a thrill down his spine. He smiled again, holding her close.

_I'__m sure everything will be all right._

And so it was.

* * *

END 


End file.
